To reduce stroke risk, work up a sweat

It’s pretty common knowledge that exercise helps stave off a myriad of health problems, including cardiovascular problems such as strokes.

Now, researchers are saying there’s an easy way to tell if you’re getting enough exercise to reduce your risk of a stroke: If you didn’t sweat, you probably didn’t work out hard enough.

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers talked to thousands of subjects about their weekly exercise routine.

TheHeart.org’s HeartWire reports that subjects who were inactive were 20 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than subjects who exercised four or more times per week. Subjects who exercised one to three times per week had a 16 percent greater risk of stroke than those who exercised more.

“When considering men, exercising at an intensity sufficient to work up a sweat greater than four times per week is more effective than exercising one to three times per week,” the study states.

So, next time you hit the gym or the jogging trail, try to make sure you’re going to need a shower afterward.